Review: It's been a while since we last spotted French deepsmith Argo on Encrypted but the timing is perfect for a return as he eases us into 2019 with dreamy allure. Following his "Daredevil" EP on Artikal late last year we're once again enshrouded in somnambulant sonics; "Astro Dub" is all about the twinkled arpeggio while "LNTC" takes a sombre stroll between some tightly weaved 808 hi-hat rolls. "Your Steps" closes with more of a nod to the dancefloor, with its rolling break and warping bassline whipping up a Swamp 83 style technoid edge. Step in time.

Review: Dubzy's back with some biblical business, old testament style: "Wrath Of God" lives up to its name with swaggering near-operatic levels of theatre and drama and high levels of smite in the subs. "Dilemma" softens the vibe a little thanks to a set of Oriental pipes and a springy funk in the drums. Finally, "Fuck 'Em" shuts the EP down with a swampy 2007-style system shake. Loose percussion, big string strikes and a few surprises in bassline; the omnipotent Chad is in fine form here. Smiting ain't easy.

Review: Following last summer's scorching anonymous first CV white label "War / Fan Dem Off", RDG's label returns with another mysterious never-to-be-repressed doublet. Fittingly cold and wintry for this time of year, both "Sly" and the much-coveted "Teardrop" are taken to glacial places. Deep, smoky, spacious and foggy, both cuts burn long smouldering fires both at home and in the dance. Grab them while they're ice cold.

Review: It's 2019 and Chestplate bossman Distance is well and truly woke. Dropping his first officials since his outing on J:Kenzo's Artikal last spring, the whole four tracker is a pungent trip back to the stinker golden age. Rough funk, distorted and tailored strictly to kick the living peanuts out of the crowd, each cut is Distance doing what he does best. From the psychedelic dirge of "Awaken" right through to the orchestral darkness of "Settling Scores", Distance isn't mucking around here. Neither should you.

Review: Well Rounded Dubs chomp into 2019 with their first (300 limited) 12" of the year. And once again it's a showcase of next level talent as Foamplate and Sibla step up to the series. Foamplate (who was on the label launch release) returns with a vibrant, fuzzy piece of funk laden with trippy metallic harmonics and some serious off-grid funk in the drums. Sibla takes the flip with a stuttering slice of strange textures, harp plucks, crashing drums and so much sub you'll want to shave some off the record and bake with it. Well good mate.

Review: Following its high impact launch with Sh?m last year, new London label Romulus kickstart a new year with a crisp eastern design from Kotei and a fat stack of high grade versions. Building on the crispness of recent outings on Boxed, Dream Eater and Southpoint, "Ichi" is a glacial misty stepper measured with serious restraint and cavernous dynamics. Remix wise Glume & Phoswsa tank up some chest pressing 808 kicks, Dakun cooks up some remarkable harmonics in the tubular basses, MOREOFUS adds a little wave twist in the top synth while JFO closes the show with a jugular gunned two step. All corners covered.

Review: Version time: Innamind look back over the vaults and pick two of their many cult subversive tracks and hand them over to two of the modern game's most distinctive craftsmen for remix duties. The results speak for themselves as Egoless charges up LAS' "Uuha" with a whole new layer of organic instrumental funk while Foamplate flips Ago's "Why Won't You" into much starker pastures, injecting the already eerie skanker with stacks more space. Don't sleep on this.

Review: There's no stopping this American trio right now; after a massive year of ugly thumpers on the likes of Dank & Dirty Dubz, Chestplate and Artikal, they return to DUPLOC for another EP, this time fully vinylised and loaded with two VIPs of their label debut last year. "Forest Temple" is a real foundation shaker where the subs do all the talking and the eerie textures ripple through the spaces while "Up Up" is just a straight up stinker with full wobbles and teeth gnashing filth. Flip for two crucial VIPs as "Verify Me" and "Yellow & Grey" are given the most dapper go-gullier-stripes you ever did hear. Sound as a pound.

Review: Busting open a brand new bottle of 2019 with his bare Mancunian hands, Walton returns to Pinch's Tectonic with his first fresh dispatch since his sophomore album Black Lotus. As always, it's a full-bodied assault as "Bullet 2" licks shots with technoid venom. "Inside" follows with a similar spirit but with even less layers of armour and a bouncier bassline, while "More Cowbell" does that toxic Pulse X style alien bass thing, gets all trippy with the percussion and seriously stampy with the kicks. Finally, we close with a bruked up G swagger on the spacious, foreboding "Gunshot Clap". Shots fired.